My Pasta e Fagioli

I've been wanting to make a Pasta e Fagioli soup for awhile, but I was quite intimidated by most of the recipes I found. They looked wonderfully delicious, but they always had some ingredients that I wasn't so sure about. I decided to make my own version instead of following any one recipe, and it turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself.

Pasta e Fagioli

1 lb. ground sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 c. beef broth
1 c. water
1 (15 oz) can butter beans, drained
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 tbs. Worchestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
seasoned with: parsley, thyme, basil, fresh ground pepper
1 cup small pasta (I used elbow macaroni)

Brown the sausage with the onions and garlic; drain fat. Add the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the pasta and bring to a boil. Once a boil is reached, turn down the heat, cover, and simmer about a half an hour. Add the pasta, turn the heat up to return soup to a boil; then turn down to a simmer again until pasta is tender (about 6 minutes).

Note: The pasta soaks up a lot of the liquid, you may need to add more water or broth.

That's it, super easy, super hearty and great for a winter day.

Stop and Enjoy the Fog

I love foggy days. I feel like a blanket of clouds has descended and wrapped around me. I love how the fog changes the whole world, reducing your view to only a block or two radius. The fog forces you to see what is right in front of you, focus on your immediate surroundings, not losing them in the vast openness of the rest of the world.

As a mother, I find myself constantly saying things like "I can't wait until she can..." "It will be so much easier when she learns to...", or, now that she's at the curious, get into everything toddler stage, "I miss when she would just stay in one place." I find myself wishing her little life away, awaiting the bigger and better things. Sometimes, I need a fog to descend on my life, forcing me only to see the present, only the wonderful, amazing stage that she currently is in, not taking it for granted.

True, every stage has its difficulties. We are currently struggling through the biting stage. Each time I drop her off at Sunday School or the daycare at my mom's group I say a little prayer that she can get through it without biting any of the other kids. But I don't want to miss the great parts either. How her vocabulary is constantly growing, how you can watch her and see how she learns and figures things out, and seeing her loving and mothering her dolls and stuffed animals; these are things I don't want to miss out on or forget while I'm trying to see what is ahead.

I hope reading this helps others to stop and enjoy the fog. Do not take for granted what is currently happening in your life. We all have struggles, but life is more than getting from one stage to the next. Enjoy the journey, savour the fog.